Right now Netflix is streaming both (I know, it's shocking) "The Princess Diaries" and "The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement", so naturally I took advantage of this rare occurrence and watched both of them back to back.
Besides being reminded of Anne Hathaway's hysterical portrayal of Mia Thermopolis and Julie Andrews' charming and sassy Queen Clarisse I suddenly realized why these two movies were so important to me when I was a little girl.
The two movies' number one message: anyone can be a princess, no tiara required.
The first movie pulled out the quirky little girl I buried within myself a long time ago and made her see that she can still be a princess as long as she believes she is.
While there are some negatives to say about this movie, especially towards the makeover of Mia (you don't need straight hair to be a princess, and who says glasses clash with tiara's?) but that's beside the point. The movie still brings you back to a time where you believed you were a loser, but then reminds you of the true princess you were always meant to be.
"Princess Diaries 2" on the other hand, gives you all the feminist vibes you didn't even know were there. First of all, Queen Clarisse has ruled Genovia by herself for years and is one big feminist, which you notice the most in this movie.
Just picture her in a courtroom surrounded by men advocating for her granddaughter's rights as the rightful heir to the throne. They tell her Princess Mia needs to marry in order to become queen but she insists that Mia does not need a man by her side in order to rule Genovia, and she is right.
Eventually, the law is abolished by Mia at her wedding after she gives a speech about how she doesn't need a husband in order to rule her country. Think about how important that was to hear as a little girl.
Another scene in the second movie that brings back the message of the first movie is the one where Princess Mia marches with all the little girls from the children's shelter.
Her speech to the bullied little girl about how anyone can be princess makes you want to put on a tiara yourself and march on with them. Watching all of them march with the iconic Kelly Clarkson song "Breakaway" playing in the background really speaks to all the feminist themes in the movie and sends chills down your spine.
So if you're looking for something to do on a Friday go binge watch these two movies and remind yourself of the princess inside you.
